await
Americanverb (used with object)
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to wait for; expect; look for.
He is still awaiting an answer.
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to be in store for; be imminent.
A pleasant surprise awaits her in today's mail.
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Obsolete. to lie in wait for.
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to wait for; expect
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(tr) to be in store for
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(intr) to wait, esp with expectation
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obsolete (tr) to wait for in order to ambush
Usage
What are other ways to say await?
To await something is to wait for it or look for it expectantly. How is await different from anticipate, hope, and expect? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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awaitsimple
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awaitssimple
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have awaitedperfect
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has awaitedperfect
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am awaitingprogressive
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are awaitingprogressive
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is awaitingprogressive
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have been awaitingperfect progressive
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has been awaitingperfect progressive
Past
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awaitedsimple
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had awaitedperfect
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was awaitingprogressive
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were awaitingprogressive
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had been awaitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of await
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English awaiten, from Old North French awaitier (Old French aguaitier ), equivalent to a- a- 5 + waitier wait
Explanation
To await is to anticipate or look forward to something. If you're hoping to get a letter from your pen pal, you'll eagerly await the mail carrier's arrival every afternoon. When you await a phone call, you might sit by the telephone at home or keep your cell phone in your hand. A prisoner who awaits trial is biding his time until his case comes before a judge. Sometimes await implies that some particular outcome is in store for someone: "A terrible surprise awaits her, when she gets home and sees that her dog ate the sofa."
Vocabulary lists containing await
Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 1
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Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Rochelle Garza represented asylum-seekers who had to await their hearings in Mexico.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Rather than await the parliamentary inquiry’s findings, Farage took pre-emptive action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
As David and Ally anxiously await the verdict of the trial, one key question remains unanswered - what will happen to Marcus and the other babies.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Now we await a reprise of her jeans and white T-shirt red carpet look from last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“I may, in time. Child, you do not want to run off into the woods at this late hour. Who can say what horrors await out there?”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
The clock is ticking, however, and Collins awaits whoever emerges from whatever process Democrats ultimately follow.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Madonna walks back into the past one final time on the album’s closing track, “L.E.S. Girl,” fondly calling her last days before superstardom, where the memory of a long-lost love with dirty hair awaits her.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
But perhaps nothing is quite as torturous as what now awaits Scotland, after losing 3-0 to Brazil on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The U.S. — and Pulisic — have five days to prepare for their group-stage finale with Turkey on Thursday at SoFi Stadium, where the potential for even more history awaits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
“And we don’t know exactly what awaits us. Who’s to say if their lives will be any better or worse than ours?”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Phillips was placed back on dialysis as she awaited a transplant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Both awaited cars to take them to Connecticut.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Near a white tent, about a hundred empty urns awaited ashes of the dead after cremation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
When Faruqui first opened the collection in Kolkata, he had little idea what awaited him.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Crowds converged around these bulletin boards as people anxiously awaited updates on Garfield's condition.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
Republicans were eagerly awaiting their Tuesday meeting with Vice President JD Vance, hoping he’d break Congress’s gridlock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
The deal has been cleared by overseas regulatory bodies including Australia and China but is still awaiting approval from the U.K. and the European Union.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Excessive delays at hospital reduced the ambulance service's ability to service the emergency calls that were awaiting response.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
"We are also awaiting guidance from the relevant authorities before confirming funeral and memorial arrangements."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Outside Ford’s Theatre, bewildered pedestrians joined the crowd of theater patrons and hovered near the front doors awaiting the president.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
